Sunday, June 30, 2013

Hi! I am sorry that I have not posted but it has been busy around the ole BPM household. Finally, yes, finally, we put the big kid on the plane for Texas. He had his suitcases, backpack and glove in his hand as he waved good by on his way to a new adventure.

From what I understand, the temperature has been unbearably hot. Hey, it's hot here too...just not 110 degrees. Why did it take so long send him? Well, the shoulder has been hurting and he did not want to go and not be able to follow the program completely. Therefore, he finished PT, massage, stretching, and working out. Today was the big day.....and now it is up to him and the Pitching Doctor.

It's quiet around here, but he had to go. This is another adventure and chapter in his book of life. We may fly to Texas in a few weeks to see him....then again..maybe not....He's 21 and ready to fly on his own. Hasta la vista!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Again....another short post....got to run to yoga....shower...class.....big day....no time for BP mom.....sorry...

Here is where we stand....yes, another weird day...the big kid came home from PT yesterday in a very salty mood....why? His tricep muscle hurts again and he had to stop throwing. What does this mean? Oy!.....perhaps he is NOT going to leave again for Houston at the designated time on Sunday and may have to push it back another week....

US Air loves us since we have to pay a fee every time we reschedule.....Houston is laughing at us....I am trying to figure us out.....Tomorrow's session will determine whether he flies out on Sunday. Right now, I sent him for a massage to stimulate blood flow to his tricep. I think that I need some blood flow to my brain, 'cause it ain't working through this problem in an efficient, cost effective way...

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

To begin, I would like to congratulation BP Grandmom and Grandpop on their 58th anniversary. Quite a feat! Talk about the Iron-man and woman of matrimony......They taught us the way that a married couple behaves, treats one another, and acts. Role models for the ages....still holding hands and caring deeply for each other. Wow....that's it....wow!

On to our excellent adventure yesterday. Before we left, I specifically asked the kid to make sure that he checked with all realtors to make sure that we saw every single apartment left on the west side of campus. This way, he could party and walk home. It's a no-brainer. I know what he is doing after hours and I want him and the innocent people on the road to be safe. Therefore, the apartment has to be central to everything. In otehr words, we are going to pay top dollar because:
1. the location
2. He is very late in seeking his housing.

And so, it went......we saw two apartments because he did not do what I asked (see paragraph above)....The first one was nice but besides a high monthly rent bill, he also had to pay for all utilities including parking....so roughly we are talking about $1100/month. From the moldy second floor window, I could not see a mountain view, lake, or beach, and therefore, it was waaaaayyyyy over priced.

The second place was also waaaay overpriced and pretty disgusting. As we toured the tiny place, I questioned my sanity as to why I wanted to help on this journey. Isn't this clearly a father-son bonding experience? No? OK, moving on.....the overwhelmed, out of college for one month realtor shared that there were cheaper (not by much) apartments 5 miles from campus thus defeating the idea of 'walking' home when inebriated.

Next, I decided to (once again) take things into my own hands and went online to search on my cell phone. There were a few singles left a three blocks away from campus. OK, let me call....oy!
The home owner answered and when I explained my neediness and loss of sanity, he replied that he had a single apartment in the right location available. OK, how much? $1190/month....but that includes parking and does NOT include utilities....Nice! No, not nice!!! Dude, you don't understand, my budget is lower..much lower....I want to eat this year.....
Suddenly, he drops the price to $1000/month. Hmmmm....perhaps there is negotiation that can be done. Let's go and see it.

We made arrangements to see the place and Buddy decides he will drive since I have no idea where I am going. Fine. Go ahead. Take the wheel. Sheeesh....

Well, guess what? he made a wrong turn and as he tried to make a u-turn, I saw from the corner of my eye on the outskirts of town, a sign that said "single apartment available". Whoa, nelly....pull over. We're going in.

The apartment is the second floor over a realtor's office and adjacent to a vegen take out place. The realtors were leaving when I pounded on the door to ask for a tour. Fortunately, they were very nice and let me see the place. As we chit chatted a bit, I found out that they rent the baseball house and were in it during the afternoon. They were appalled with the condition of the house and completely understood why he wanted out of the house of mold.

On the the second floor, where I had an out of body experience......when I say that this place was wonderful, I am understating it....Yes, by stupid, dumb, incredibly lucky luck, we found it. And it was the best price, best location, utilities included, and parking on site. The bus stop was ten feet from the front door. There is a woman renting the apartment now and she loved it. I loved it. I wanted it. It had a second floor deck, full kitchen, bedroom, and huge living area......oh my.....I almost signed that moment but knew that I had one more place to see.

reluctantly leaving the beautiful second floor apartment, I visualized the place turning into the greatest college apartment ever...with the owners working on the first floor, I knew that the kid would be on his best behavior. Wow....

Ok, on to the last place....as the owner met us, there was a minor flood in the kitchen as he was defrosting the freezer. The outside of the place was neat, an older home with a porch (perfect for friend's gatherings, not an uber-party). Inside was another story. When I use the word "ewww", I think that a person understands that it was beyond disgusting. The floors, bathroom, and kitchen were growing their own mold and bacteria and it smelled like a locker room full of dirty sneakers mixed with last week's trash. Yuk! Thanking the realtor who had dropped the price for us, we left knowing that we were taking the second floor apartment.

And so, here we have it.....today, the kid is faxing the paper work to the realtor and taking the neatest place on the planet. The outside is well cared for. The inside is so nice that I would actually (but not) consider sleeping there. it has great potential, he already decided to string white lights around the porch and put a Christmas tree up (whoa dude, it's June, right?).

Somehow, some way, this adventure worked out. After discovering that he was way too late to find anything livable, we managed through a wrong turn to find the apartment of the year.
Folks, this is something that never happens for us. That's right....crazy, stupid luck. We don't have it, never have, never will....but somehow, some way....I am speechless......and so it goes in the crazy and once lucky life of BP mom.

About Me

I am a college professor with 2 adult children. I wrote a blog called Bullpen mom chronicling the stories of my son's road to the Major Leagues. After several surgeries, his dream was placed on the shelf with lots of good memories. Now I am going to write about the journey in and through law school and my incredibly odd life.